Have you ever passed up purchasing a wonderful piece of art pottery, flow blue, transferware or any other collectible ceramic or porcelain because it had horrible crazing or other stains? I know I have. Condition, condition, condition is the mantra that has been drilled into our heads. Only buy the best when purchasing our collectables and antiques. However,...

As a fans of antiques and collectibles, whose interest in history is peaked by the things we collect, we thought it would be interesting to provide here an account of Thanksgiving in America as it was thought of more than a century ago. What follows is “The History of Thanksgiving Day” as it appeared in pages of “The Ladies’...

There are events in our lives that stand out like no others. Most of us in my generation know where we were and what we were doing on Nov. 22, 1963 when we learned that John F. Kennedy was assassinated. In the hours and days that followed, we lived the tragedy through media coverage of an almost unreal...

[caption id="attachment_2517319" align="aligncenter" width="500"] This Staffordshire platter depicts the State Arms of Pennsylvania and is an early 19th-century piece by an unknown maker. As it is a very rare example, it sold for $26,000 in 2010.[/caption] It’s that time of year where family heirlooms are dragged out of their hiding places in china cabinets and buffets to serve...

[caption id="attachment_2487497" align="alignright" width="300"] There are a number of different commercial products available for cleaning silver: cloth, liquid, cream, paste and foam are common products that are easily available.[/caption] Thanksgiving Day is less than a week away, and if you are tempted to get out your antique silver to make your holiday table sparkle, there are a few...

[caption id="attachment_2521407" align="alignright" width="230"] Worthologist Adrien von Ferscht in Beijing at the opening of the Chinese Export Silver exhibition in September 2014.[/caption] WorthPoint Worthologist Adrien von Ferscht has been at the forefront of research for Chinese Export Silver over the past five years, as his copious writing and publishing on the still little-known subject has dramatically changed the...

[caption id="attachment_2521401" align="alignright" width="265"] “London After Midnight” (MGM, 1927), starring Lon Chaney, The Man of a Thousand Faces, is considered to be one of the “holy grails” of lost cinema. The only known U.S. poster from this movie is up for sale at Heritage Auctions and could bring as much as $50,000.[/caption] DALLAS – The only known copy...

[caption id="attachment_2521375" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Workers literally sifted through a mountain of trash looking for Atari’s detritus and found it. Thus, the legend of the Atari landfill was confirmed even if the scope of the find didn’t quite match up to the myth.[/caption] Back in April, an excavation crew dug up the fabled “Atari landfill” in Alamogordo, N.M., where...

[caption id="attachment_2521366" align="aligncenter" width="550"] This sweet angel on a leather postcard was mailed in 1907. Like most leather cards, it’s slightly smaller than standard size, measuring about 4.5 inches by 2.75 inches. Made of deerskin, it is very soft and supple. The red color would have been added after the image was completed. Cards like these can easily...

[caption id="attachment_2521359" align="aligncenter" width="550"] The medals and other items belong to Roy Air Force Squadron Leader Karun Krishna “Jumbo” Majumdar, including the only “Double” Distinguished Flying Cross awarded to an Indian pilot, will go on auction on Nov. 26 at Morton & Eden in London. Majumdar is considered the “Father of the Indian Air Force.”[/caption] LONDON – The...